Countdown
by meeker004
Summary: 100 dollars. It was how much Seth owed his older sister after she won their bet that Jacob Black would imprint on somebody completely inappropriate and leave Seth completely and utterly brokenhearted. Leah-Embry and Seth-Jacob.


**Countdown**

---

**100**

_100 dollars_. It was how much Seth owed his older sister after she won their bet that Jacob Black would imprint on somebody completely inappropriate and leave Seth completely and utterly brokenhearted.

**90**

_90 percent_. It was the grade Leah got on last chemistry final in high school. Her teacher was quite proud of her; the next highest score had been a 57. He asked Leah if she was going to college, and she shrugged and said that she didn't know.

**80**

_80 hours_. The time it took Seth to muster up the courage to tell his pack mates that he wanted out of the werewolf business. Nobody complained when he finally got around to it; they were all getting a bit sick of Seth's longing looks at their Alpha anyway.

**70**

_70 grams_. That's how much cold medicine Leah ingested before she threw up in the sink after hearing that she didn't get into Columbia's pre-med program. She received another rejection from letter Harvard the next day, and ended up in the hospital when her brother found her on the floor, seizing from swallowing a whole bottle of Ibuprofen. She's pretty sure she would have died if she wasn't some freaky wolf girl.

**60**

_60 years_. Seth's mother never lived to see that many. Seth handled her death better than he handled his father's, but he knew that if Leah tried to kill herself again, he wouldn't be able to hold in those dark thoughts that Edward used to chastise him for.

**50**

_50 minutes_. The total time it took Leah to realize that she was writhing and moaning helplessly underneath Embry Call and not Sam Uley before she pushed him off and pulled her stained white dress back on.

**40**

_40 times_. Seth was pretty sure nobody knew about 39 of them; but then Leah just _had_ to come back early that one afternoon, right as Jacob finished unzipping Seth's jeans and dropped to his knees.

**30**

_30 miles_. Leah had to drive that far from La Push to be able to breathe properly after Sam finds out what happened. She had never seen him so angry in her life, and she's ashamed to say that it felt fucking _fantastic_ when he started to cry.

**20**

_20 pieces_. The approximate amount of paper that rests at the bottom of a wastebasket in Seth's room, remnants of the note that Jacob left him when the Cullens finally moved on. Seth didn't read it; even if Jacob had professed his undying love and devotion, it wouldn't change a damn thing.

**10**

_10 hours_. That's how long it took Leah to write the apology letter she wrote to Embry. It still wasn't very good, and she's pretty sure he won't be able to read parts of it because she cried and smeared the black ink when she remembered how soft his hands hand been on her breasts. But at least she tried. 'A' for effort, 'F' for the final product.

**9**

_9 days_. Seth went without eating for this long, and pretty soon the Clearwater's roles were reversed as Leah took her brother to the emergency room on a sunny Monday afternoon.

**8**

_8 songs. _That how many Eagles hits there were on the CD Embry left on Leah's dashboard. She doesn't actually like Don Henley or Joe Walsh, but for some reason she smiled when she popped the compact disk in and the chords of _Hotel California_ blasted out of her stereo.

**7**

_7 stitches_. Seth got crap from Leah for needing that many from a little schoolyard fight. He didn't tell remind her that she was the subject of the brawl; serves him right for thinking he could take on Embry Call without sufficient backup.

**6**

_6 shots_. Leah probably shouldn't have downed that much tequila, seeing as she's not much of a drinker. It seemed like such a good idea at the time, especially because she thinks Embry might still be jailbait and that makes her the worst kind of cradle robber.

**5**

_5 shirts_. That's all that Seth has left now. He burned all the other ones Jacob touched because it hurt too much to put them on.

**4**

_4 rings_. Leah waits this long before she picks up her cell phone when it flashes EMBRY CALL. She takes a deep breath, and then dives in.

**3**

_3 knocks_. Seth barely hears the first two. He had the television on too loud again. His mother would have yelled at him if she were still alive.

**2**

_2 syllables_. Leah's heart soars at the words _I'm yours _as they fall from Embry's lips, because they're beautiful and wonderful and everything she never thought she would get after Sam left her. She wraps her arms around him until she thinks she might just melt right into his warm body.

**1**

_1 moment_. Seth won't forget it, because he was sitting in his room watching some stupid reality show when Jacob fucking Black showed up on his doorstep, soaked from the unseasonable downpour, and asks to come inside. Seth just stares until the taller boy is kissing him, and suddenly Seth starts kissing back.

**0**

_0 regrets_. It's a lie, but Seth and Leah are willing to spread it.

**FIN**

---

**Disclaimer**: I don't own it; never did, never will.


End file.
